Game apparatus



(5. F. BEN DITT GAME APPARATUS Aug. 25, 1964 Filed May 16, 1962 INVENTOR G. f. BEND/7' 7 74 V ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,145,991 GAME APPARATUS George F. Eenditt, RD. 1, Boyertown, Pa. Filed May 16, 1962, Ser. No. 195,172 3 Slaims. (U. 273-108) This invention relates to a novel game apparatus affording entertainment to children of various ages or adults and which may be utilized by one or more players.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a game apparatus including a runway along which an object is to be propelled and which includes means to effect reversal of the direction of movement of the object as it approaches either end of the runway.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus having means to limit or regulate the force ini tially utilized by a player in placing the object in motion on the runway.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus including means associated with the runway and with the movable object and which is utilized in scoring.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently prefered embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away, showing a runway and associated parts constituting a portion of the game apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of a movable object for travel on the runway of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view partly in elevation showing the runway with the movable object disposed thereon;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the game apparatus in its entirety is designated generally 7 and includes a runway, designated generally 8, and an object 9 for travel back and forth along said runway.

The runway 8 includes an elongated flat strip 10 having upstanding side walls 11 along its side edges which extend from end-to-end thereof. The side walls 11 may be formed integral with or secured in any suitable manner to the upper surface of the base strip 10 and preferably comprise quarter round molding strips.

A pin 12 is anchored in each Wall 11 near each end thereof and extends upwardly therefrom and is disposed outwardly with respect to an inner surface 13 of the wall. Each pin 12 is flared outwardly, as seen at 14, above the wall. The transversely aligned pins 12, adjacent each end of the runway 8, provide anchors for an elastic abutment, the elastic abutment at the right hand end of the runway, as viewed in FIGURE 1, being designated 15, and an elastic abutment, located adjacent the other end of the runway being designated 16. Said elastic abutments preferably each comprises an endless band or strap formed of rubber and which is held tensioned between the two pins 12 engaged thereby. As seen in FIGURE 1, the elastic abutments 15 and 16 are disposed adjacent to but spaced from the ends of the upper surface 17 of the strip 10 which constitutes the runway surface.

A bail or arch shaped member 18 is disposed over the runway surface 17, midway of its ends and midway between the elastic abutments 15 and 16, and has terminal portions 19 which engage in upwardly opening sockets 20 of the walls 11 for detachably supporting the bail or Ice arch 18 over the runway surface 17 and perpendicular thereto.

The runway surface 17, along one wall 11, has longitudinally spaced graduations 21 in the form of inwardly directed arrowheads between which are located numerals 22, numbered consecutively from 1 to 10, from the right hand end to the left hand end of the surface 17 as seen in FIGURE 1. The surface 17 has similar arrowhead shaped longitudinally spaced graduations 23 along its other side, adjacent the other wall 11 and between which are disposed numerals 24. Said numerals 24 are consecutively numbered from 1 to 10, but in the opposite direction, from left to right of FIGURE 1. The right hand end of the runway surface or track 17 is inscribed with the outline of an arrow 25 directed toward the other end of the runway surface or track and containing therein the legend Start Here, designated 26.

The object 9 comprises a toy automobile which is shown in FIGURE 2, drawn to the same scale as the runway 8 of FIGURE 1, and which is of a width somewhat less than the width of the runway surface or track 17 between the Walls 11, so that the wheels 27 thereof may engage the track or runway surface 17 with sufiicient clearance so as not to contact the inner wall surfaces 13. The body of the vehicle 9, on each side thereof and midway of its ends, has a vertically extending line or marking 28. The vehicle 9 has a rear bumper 29 and a front bumper 30 which bumpers are disposed at the same elevation and have a vertical width to extend to above and below the level of the abutments 15 and 16.

The runway 8 is preferably about four feet long and the runway surface or track 17 is preferably about two and one-half inches wide between the walls 11. In utilizing the game apparatus 7 a player places the movable object or Vehicle 9 on the runway surface or track 17 between the abutment 15 and the arch 18 and facing in the direction of the arrow 25 or toward the other abutment 16. The player then forcibly pushes the vehicle toward the abutment 16. As much force as desired may be employed so long as the arch 18 is not struck by the hand utilized in pushing the vehicle 9. The vehicle 9 travels along the runway surface 17 which is disposed in a horizontal plane and the bumper 30 thereof strikes and distends the abutment 16 outwardly or from right to left. The abutment 16 in rebounding propels the vehicle 9 in the opposite direction toward or against the abtument 15 which is distended thereby to the right and, in rebounding, propels the vehicle back against or toward the abutment 16. It will be understod that the rear bumper 29 will strike the abutment 15. Each time that the movable object or vehicle 9 strikes one of the abutments 15 or 16 the player receives a score of ten and if the vehicle stops midway of the length of the runway, an additional score of from one to nine depending upon the arrow or graduation nearest to which the marking 28 of the vehicle is disposed. For example, if the vehicle strikes the abutment 16 twice and the abutment 15 once and stops with its marking 26 between the arrowheads 23, between which the numeral 7 is disposed, the player will receive a score of thirty-seven. If both bumpers are struck twice and the vehicle stops while moving from right to left with one of its markings 28 between the graduations 21 straddling the numeral 4, the player receives a score of forty-four. It will thus be noted that the graduations 21 and the numbers 22 associated therewith are utilized in the scoring when the vehicle stops while moving from right to left of FIGURE 1 While the graduations 23 and numerals 24 are utilized in the scoring if the vehicle 9 stops while moving from left to right of FIGURE 1.

If the player in initially propelling the vehicle 9 on the track 17 strikes the arch 18 with his hand or if the vehicle leaves the track 17, the player receives no score,

and may be penalized, depending upon the rules adopted for the play of the game.

The arch 18 is made detachable so that it can be removed when the game apparatus 7 is utilized by small children.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A game apparatus comprising an elongated runway having spaced apart substantially parallel upstanding side walls extending from end-to-end thereof and defining a track, elastic abtuments extending across the track near each end thereof, and a mobile object of a width less than the width of the track and of a length greater than the track width disposed for travel back and forth along said track, said mobile object being adapted to be initially propelled in one direction toward one of said abutments to engage and distend said abutment outwardly relative to the track end adjacent to which said abutment is disposed whereby said mobile object is propelled in the opposite direction by the rebounding force of said distended abutment, toward the other abutment, said mobile object comprising a wheeled vehicle having bumpers at the ends thereof disposed at a level to engage said abutments when the vehicle wheels are in engagement with said track.

2. A game apparatus as in claim 1, said track, adjacent each of said walls, having longitudinally spaced numbered graduations, one of the sets of graduations being numbered in the opposite direction to the graduations of the other set, and said vehicle having a marking on each side thereof for use in connection with said graduations.

3. A game apparatus comprising an elongated runway having spaced apart substantially parallel upstanding side walls extending from end-to-end thereof and defining a track, elastic abutments extending across the track near each end thereof, and a mobile object of a width less than the width of the track and of a length greater than the track width disposed for travel back and forth along said track, said mobile object being adapted to be initially propelled in one direction toward one of said abutments to engage and distend said abutment outwardly relative to the track end adjacent to which said abutment is disposed whereby said mobile object is propelled in the opposite direction by the rebounding force of said distended abutment, toward the other abutment, each of said abutments comprising an elastic strap, and pins anchored in and projecting upwardly from said walls, each of said straps being anchored to two transversely aligned pins and supported solely thereby under tension, said mobile object having transversely extending end portions disposed in vertical planes and extending to above and below the level of said straps for engagement therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 369,623 Totten et al. Sept. 6, 1887 560,233 Robinson May 19, 1896 2,456,884 Mikula Dec. 21, 1948 2,526,334 Cusano Oct. 17, 1950 i an 

1. A GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RUNWAY HAVING SPACED APART SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS EXTENDING FROM END-TO-END THEREOF AND DEFINING A TRACK, ELASTIC ABUTMENTS EXTENDING ACROSS THE TRACK NEAR EACH END THEREOF, AND A MOBILE OBJECT OF A WIDTH LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF THE TRACK AND OF A LENGTH GREATER THAN THE TRACK WIDTH DISPOSED FOR TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH ALONG SAID TRACK, SAID MOBILE OBJECT BEING ADAPTED TO BE INITIALLY PROPELLED IN ONE DIRECTION TOWARD ONE OF SAID ABUTMENTS TO ENGAGE AND DISTEND SAID ABUTMENT OUTWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE TRACK END ADJACENT TO WHICH SAID ABUTMENT IS DISPOSED WHEREBY SAID MOBILE OBJECT IS PROPELLED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTON BY THE REBOUNDING FORCE OF SAID DISTENDED ABUTMENT, TOWARD THE OTHER ABUTMENT, SAID MOBILE OBJECT COMPRISING A WHEELED VEHICLE HAVING BUMPERS AT THE ENDS THEREOF DISPOSED AT A LEVEL TO ENGAGE SAID ABUTMENTS WHEN THE VEHICLE WHEELS ARE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TRACK. 